May 20, 2014

Who says there are no new trails to hike? And if there aren’t any new ones, make your own.

DuPont State Forest

Matt Kirk of the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy (a Hendersonville-based land conservancy) will talk about the Southern Appalachian Loop Trail (aka SALT) at 7 p.m. tonight, that’s Tuesday, May 20, at REI Asheville, in Biltmore Park.

The Southern Appalachian Loop Trail connects several iconic trails like the Appalachian Trail, Art Loeb, and Mountains-to-Sea Trail, with new segments to create a highlight reel of the Blue Ridge, according to REI.

SALT passes through four states – North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, and includes classic Southern Appalachian landmarks such as Clingmans Dome in the Smokies, the Chattooga River, Shining Rock, and the waterfalls of DuPont State Forest.

Kirk was the first to hike the entire loop in 2012. He will discuss is The Missing Link, a short section between DuPont State Recreation Forest and Mountain Bridge Wilderness in South Carolina that is not yet open to the public. The Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy is working to acquire the final missing segment of the SALT loop.

The talk is free but registration is required. Register at www.rei.com/event/57249/session/90722.

February 20, 2014

Doesn’t this scrumptiously warm winter weather make you want to get outside and take a hike?? Here’s your chance for an expertly guided hike this weekend.

The Western North Carolina Alliance and Ron Lance will offer a FREE winter plant hike at Little Bald Mountain at 10 a.m. this Saturday, Feb. 22.

Lance is a native plant specialist who has more than 30 years of experience growing, studying and teaching about native plants.

He’s written several guides and keys for Southeastern plants, including “The Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge,” “The Surveyor’s Guide to the Trees of North Carolina,” and his newest release, “Woody Plants of the Southeastern US – A Winter Guide.”

Lance will lead hikers to the trail junction that ascends to Little Bald Mountain, passing noteworthy examples of ailing American chestnut trees and interesting shrubs, such as the beaked hazelnut.

At the summit of Little Bald, hikers will pass through a dwarf beech forest and descend the oak/laurel-covered ridge southeasterly on the Pilot Rock Trail, which leads north to the Laurel Mountain Trail.

From there, the hike takes the Laurel Mountain Trail back to the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, along north-facing slopes rich in hardwood/rhododendron forests, rocks and seepages. Hikers will pass through aromatic patches of galax and oak forests to complete a 3.2 mile loop.

This trail has a variety of slope exposures, so participants should wear plenty of layers and sturdy footwear.

A carpool will be available from the Westgate parking lot near Earth Fare, leaving at 9:15 a.m. Hikers should pack their own water and lunch.

This hike is free, but those who want to participate should RSVP to WNCA Education and Outings Coordinator Isabelle Rios at 828-258-8737, ext. 201 or Isabelle@WNCA.org.

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August 8, 2013

The giant Blue Ridge Parkway crack (which is now gone, as crews work on creating a temporary bypass road) has caused some chaos on the parkway, with the whole Craggy Gardens area closed this summer. But, there’s still lots happening on the parkway!

Blue Ridge Parkway

Parkway rangers have resumed their guided hikes, albeit on a much more infrequent schedule (you can thank the federal sequester budget cuts for chopping out the whole season summer staff on the parkway for that one).

But take advantage of the hikes they do have, including one tonight, that’s Thursday, Aug. 8, at 7 p.m. A ranger will lead an easy evening, after-work stroll on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail near Asheville to learn how human encroachment impacts animals that make their homes in underground burrows, rock crevices, and tree cavities.

Meet at the Folk Art Center parking lot, Milepost 382, which is just north of the U.S. 70/Tunnel Road entrance near the VA Hospital in East Asheville.

Bring water, good walking shoes, and be prepared for varying weather conditions. Long pants are advised as there is poison ivy along the trail.

May 29, 2013

The makeup hike for Rim Hike No. 1, offered by the Swannanoa Valley Museum in its fourth annual, yearlong Swannanoa Rim Explorer Hiking Series, is this Saturday, June 1.

The hikes take place on the third Saturday of each month. This hike, Weatherford Heights, which runs from Jesse’s High Top to Route 9, was postponed from Feb. 16.

The hike is named after Dr. Weatherford, founder of YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly. It is a difficult, approximately 6.5-mile hike that will follow the original boundary line of the Blue Ridge Assembly as identified by Dr. Weatherford about 1907.

Swannanoa Valley Rim Hiking Series, photo by Joe Standaert

The cost for each hike is $25 for museum members, $45 for nonmembers. Those who reserve the full year by Jan. 31 will receive a 10 percent discount.

Each hike will cover a portion of the approximately 31 miles of the Swannanoa Rim, which runs from Jesse’s High Top, across Lakey Gap, over Ridgecrest and Montreat, up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and down to Cedar Cliff above Camp Rockmont.

March 22, 2013

This just in from the Swannanoa Valley Museum, which had planned its first 10-mile Seven Sisters Peaks Hike tomorrow, Saturday, March 23. It has been postponed for weather.

Swannanoa Valley Museum hikers photo by Joe Standaert

Here’s the announcement from museum director Anne Chesky Smith:

Due the dreary, rainy, and cold weather forecast for tomorrow, we have decided to postpone the Seven Sisters Hike that was scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, March 23. We are tentatively rescheduling the hike for Saturday, May 11. Have a happy, warm, and dry weekend!

The Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, a land trust based in Hendersonville, has just purchased a conservation easement on 84 more acres of land on the popular Bearwallow Mountain, a scenic know that straddles Buncombe and Henderson counties.

The Barnwell Family of Edneyville, including matriarch Pearl Barnwell, who passed away in January at age 100, first placed 81 acres into a permanent conservation easement with CMLC in 2009 and now have added more, bringing the total to 165 acres of land on top of Bearwallow that is forever preserved from development.

Me on Bearwallow Mountain

After the first chunk of land was preserved, the CMLC partnered with the Carolina Mountain Club, famous throughout the region for their trail-building savvy and ax-swinging skills, and REI Asheville, to build a mile-long trail from Bearwallow Mountain Road in Gerton, gently switchbacking up to the summit, with 360-degree views into the Blacks, Balsams and Craggy ranges.

I got a little taste of this beautiful mountain, with cows grazing at top and all its late-autumn beauty last October. That’s when this photo was taken.

It is so heartening to see people like the Barnwells, who have owned mountain land, passing it down through their family through generations, and do something so generous for the greater good of everyone, who can now enjoy a hike, a picnic or even a 5K Run (See details on Bearwallow Beast below) on their mountain.

See more on this story in print in this weekend’s Asheville Citizen-Times.

And go sign up for the Bearwallow Beast 5K May 5!

Run for Bearwallow

The Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy hosts the second annual Bearwallow Beast 5K trail race to support the CMLC. The race starts at 2 p.m. May 5. The challenging 3.1-mile run climbs 1,400 feet to the summit of Bearwallow Mountain. Entry fee is $30 through April 1, $35 after. Visit www.bearwallowbeast.com.

Hike for Bearwallow

For more information on the CMLC’s White Squirrel Hiking Challenge 2.0, a challenge you can do any time on your own that includes eight hikes on CMLC-preserved land, including Bearwallow Mountain, call 828-697-5777 or visit www.carolinamountain.org. If you complete the challenge, you get the famous White Squirrel patch.

February 15, 2013

Well, I can’t promise, but there’s a good chance you could see a frozen waterfall, or at least some pretty big icicles this weekend at Catawba Falls in McDowell County.

Catawba Falls

The Asheville Hiking Meetup Group is hosting a guided hike out there tomorrow, that’s Saturday, Feb. 16. The group will meet at 10 a.m. and carpool out to the trail, which is about 2 miles roundtrip.

The hike has little elevation change, so it’s not difficult, but it will be COLD! So dress properly – that means, no cotton, layers, wool or polar fleece, and bring gloves, hat and a jacket that is wind and water-resistant.

The group will return to Ingles on Tunnel Road by about 1:30 p.m. The Asheville Hiking Meetup hikes are free but you need to sign up here with the hike leader ahead of time so they know you’re coming.

Hickory Nut Gorge is a beautiful valley that stretches from the continental divide at the top of Little Mount Pisgah and Hickory Nut Gap down to Lake Lure. There are over 20 miles of trails in the gorge that crisscross boulder-strewn Hickory Nut Creek with its hundreds of waterfalls, and meander through forever-wild protected lands of the Florence Preserve, Hickory Nut Forest, and beyond. The future vision for the trail system is that it will eventually span the entire length of the gorge from the gap to the lake. Landowners are working together to make this a reality.

President Obama, speaking at Linamar just a few minutes ago, said he and Michelle were planning to come back to Asheville, play a little golf, do a little hiking.

Crabtree Falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway

The last time they came here as a couple, in 2010, they stayed at the Grove Park Inn for a little getaway, and took a VERY short hike on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail off the Blue Ridge Parkway at Craven Gap. They barely walked a mile, and many local hikers were thrilled to hear they were out on the trail, but said that they hardly to advantage of the unbelievably gorgeous trails, views, waterfalls and stunning mountain vistas we have here in Western North Carolina.

So, if/when the Obamas come back for a holiday, where should they go hiking? You know their time is short, so what’s the biggest bang for their buck?

My money is on a hike up Mount Mitchell (on a clear day) Crabtree Falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway or a hike on the Appalachian Trail up on Roan Mountain in June, when the rhododendrons are in full bloom.

Any ideas? Tweet them to me on Twitter @KarenChavezACT with #avloutdoors and #avlobama or email to KChavez@CITIZEN-TIMES.com.

February 12, 2013

The Swannanoa Valley Museum’s Rim Explorer Hike Series Orientation Meeting is tonight, Tuesday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. The meeting will be in the conference room at the Black Mountain Savings Bank at 200 East State St., Black Mountain.

Learn about the year-long Rim Hike Series, and about the new Waterfall Series, which kicked off Feb. 2, and an exciting new hike that will traverse all of the Swannanoa Valley’s Seven Sisters peaks. Museum staff will also be discussing other big events this year and some important changes.

You’ll have a chance to register and reserve your space on any of our hikes at the meeting.

Karen Chavez and her dog Shelby will take you on their outdoor adventures in one of the greatest outdoor towns in America. They also want to hear about your adventures and answer your outdoor questions.
Contact Karen by email at kchavez@CITIZEN-TIMES.com.